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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25496869">A Phoenix Down</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguinberryfest/pseuds/penguinberryfest'>penguinberryfest</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xo_thefirst/pseuds/xo_thefirst'>xo_thefirst</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aliens, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood, Captivity, M/M, Minor Character Death, Torture</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:55:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,864</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25496869</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguinberryfest/pseuds/penguinberryfest, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xo_thefirst/pseuds/xo_thefirst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When a Star is born, so is Light. Nobody knows where it starts or when it ends, but Kyungsoo does know one thing.</p><p>He is a Star, and Baekhyun is his Light.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Penguin Berry Fest- Round 02 (January- July 2020)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Phoenix Down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <span class="small"><b>Prompt: T-16</b> - Enslaved and tortured for their powerful blood, a pair of magical beings are kept apart to make sure they were weak. One slip, the pair of beings reunited and turned the table, preying on their captors.</span>
  <br/>
  <span class="small"><b>Disclaimer: penguin berry fest does not own exo and/or any characters that are mentioned in the stories.</b> their appearance in these fics do not represent them in real life. authors will be tagged after reveals unless they wish to remain anonymous.</span>
</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Space is vast. It’s endless with its seas of black and hues of the darkest blues mixing together to create waves that bring sprinkles of light to the surface. It’s difficult to see at first, how the colors change as they move past, but he finds it’s always a little easier to see with his own Light by his side. His Light guides him through the seas, around clumps of rocks and debris and dying stars. He wonders if this is what they’re supposed to do during their entire life cycle.</p><p>A melodic sound distracts him from his thoughts. He looks over to his Light, watching as the other nods his head and then bobs it side-to-side lightly, as if he’s dancing. They’ve seen creatures do that before, when they’ve been enjoying themselves or listening to a strange tune, and he reaches an arm out to show he’s listening. He thinks his Light looks happy.</p><p>The melodic noise sounds again and this time, he focuses on the message the other is trying to convey. <i>We will have to rest soon</i>, he receives, <i>then we will continue</i>.</p><p>He simply nods his head in return, staring as his Light returns to bobbing his head lightly to some unknown tune he can’t hear. <i>I will go wherever you go</i>, he murmurs in their heads, tilting his head back and laughing quietly—a tinkling sound—when he sees his Light twirl in the space around them, clearly happy.</p><p>Another melodic sound. <i>I cherish you</i>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It’s a memory from long ago. He can’t recall the amount of rotations around the sun or the many phases of this planet’s moon that’s passed and it’s always the first one he sees in the back of his mind. It brings a sense of calm, reminding him he shouldn’t panic, because he doesn’t have any other energy to spare other than to dwell and live in this memory that won’t ever leave him.</p><p>He holds onto his Light’s melodic sounds when he hears the padding of footsteps on soft gravel. He tries to keep it at the forefront of his mind despite hearing the echoes of rough voices carrying through the air. He strains to hear his own tinkling laugher, when he hears the sound of metal and porcelain clinking together in the lightest of ways, growing ever closer to him. The jarring sounds alert him, trying to pull him out from the vastness of space in his head, but he can’t summon the energy to do anything but listen.</p><p>His hearing is always the first to return.</p><p>“How long has he been layin’ there?”</p><p>“I don’t know. Since this morning.”</p><p>There’s another clink, louder than before. “You let him lay there for thirteen hours?!”</p><p>“I was instructed to open the sun on him when dawn broke this morning.”</p><p>Suddenly, the scent of something appealing fills the air. It doesn’t smell like the dirt he’s been laying on but something more appetizing. It helps pull him further from the darkness of his mind and he attempts to breathe in deep. His chest aches with the movement, but he can recognize the scent of food that’s typically given to him when he wakes. It’s always cold when he receives it, but it manages to retain a strange softness to it whenever he bites into it. He didn’t think he needed food to sustain himself.</p><p>“He hasn’t moved a bit, yeah? No changes or nothin’?”</p><p>“What? Ya scared he’s going to suddenly attack?”</p><p>“Isn’t this the first time he’s been in the sun for more than eight hours?”</p><p>“Look. He’s not even moving. Hasn’t moved a bit since the sun hit him.”</p><p>The gravel is rough underneath his fingertips. The small rocks dig into the palms of his hands, sharp ones pushing into the side of his skull and the backs of his ribcage, but he knows these are minor discomforts. It’s never enough to cause any real amount of pain on their own and he tries to remember the feeling of his Light’s touch on his face. It’s a contrast he longs to feel. In a moment, he’ll be able to open his eyes.</p><p>“His eyelids are flutterin’,” the voice says, softer than it was before.</p><p>Warmth always pools in his torso first. It starts as something faint, something barely there, but then it grows. It builds and accumulates, spreading slowly from the center of his being and reaching outwards; it almost borders the side of painful when the heat finally reaches the ends of his limbs.</p><p>But then the heat settles, and it morphs. It transforms into a searing pain, one that feels like it’s burning him from the inside out, and it intensifies the sensations all over his body. All the rocks he’s laying on, the heat hitting his face, everything—they all feel as if they’re several sizes larger than what they actually are. It burns. Everything does, and he wakes with a start.</p><p>The sun blinds him when he opens his eyes. It’s a bright flash of light, the only thing he can see, and he lets his head fall to the side to try and avoid it. The burn he feels scrapes harsh against his cheek at the movement. It’s the only thing that helps ground him into observing his surroundings.</p><p>He blinks a few times, trying to ward away the blindness in his vision, but then he screams when he starts to feel something wet touch the palms of his hands. They’re clenched, as if grabbing at the rocks below him, and he feels like he’s fire erupting, flames flickering blue and white.</p><p>Suddenly, the light is gone. There are no traces of the sun or its rays. It leaves him falling in the darkness, stumbling, struggling, and he attempts to search for the source of his revival. The lack of light gives him a moment of reprieve, but then his instincts explode when he hears movement behind him. He twists onto his side, holding out a hand in an attempt to ward off whatever is there, but that only allows air to pass over the wetness of his palm.</p><p>“Subject—” a voice starts to say, but all he can do is growl. He screams in defense, before the voice speaks over him. “Kyungsoo!”</p><p>Kyungsoo isn’t his name.</p><p>“Kyungsoo! Calm down!”</p><p>Kyungsoo isn’t his name, but it’s what they gave him.</p><p>“For fuck’s sake! Calm the fuck down!”</p><p>Something wet splashes his arm. It doesn’t reach his torso, but it gives him a shock because of how cold it feels. It doesn’t burn and it doesn’t irritate. It gives Kyungsoo a moment to see through the darkness.</p><p>A human is standing beyond the cage they put him in. He appears irritated, angry, annoyed, but Kyungsoo should be the one that’s all of that. He should be the one outside of his cage. They had no <i>right</i> putting him in here and he growls again when he sees the human raise his hands. The dim lights attached to the walls leave Kyungsoo to wonder if there are more than two humans in this place with him at this time.</p><p>“Your food,” the human mutters. He lowers his arms and holds the tray with one hand while he unlocks the small gate at the bottom of the cage. It’s melded into the ground and Kyungsoo snarls as he hears the tray scraped against the gravel.</p><p>The items he sees on the tray are as he remembers from previous visits. Two liquids and a solid, but he doesn’t move towards it until the human’s locked the gate again. Only when the human takes a step back to observe him does Kyungsoo move forward. His entire being aches as he pushes himself to his knees, attempting to crawl towards what’s being offered to him, but the sudden wetness draws his attention back to his hands and his legs where they rub against the rocks on the ground. Pale purple sticks to the surface and he frowns at it.</p><p>“So, ya bleed purple this time,” the human comments. When Kyungsoo looks up, the human is now crouching on the ground staring at his hands. “Last time, ya bled red. Opening the sun up to ya made ya change colors.”</p><p>Kyungsoo bares his teeth at him. It doesn’t make the human flinch.</p><p>“Go on,” the human says. He sounds bored, but the hint of curiosity in his eyes are still present. Kyungsoo could tear him apart if he was strong enough. “I have to grab the tray before we leave, but take your time. My job is done, but I don’t want to go back and do whatever the hell else they want me to do.”</p><p>It’s aggravating, an annoyance at its finest, but it doesn’t stop Kyungsoo from moving the rest of the way towards the tray. His palms and knees scrape along the gravel more as he crawls, but he can’t really register the pain anymore. The overwhelming heat simmers and he can’t believe it’s now a foreign feeling to him. He doesn’t know how long he’s been unconscious this time.</p><p>“Fresh baked bread for our finest prisoner,” the human drawls. Kyungsoo still doesn’t understand this particular human. He doesn’t seem as afraid as his partner was when all he could do was listen to their voices. “That, there, is chicken soup. Pretty good, if you ask me. Might be cannibalism for ya, though.”</p><p>Kyungsoo doesn’t understand that, but he stares at the food nonetheless. He didn’t need it to survive before. He didn’t really need much to survive at all, but in the time that he’s been imprisoned here, he’s come to rely on it whenever he regains consciousness, whenever these humans decide to bring him back from the dead.</p><p>Silence falls between them, but Kyungsoo doesn’t make a move for the food yet. He knows the bread tastes good. He always has that when he wakes up. The ‘chicken soup,’ though, is new but smells as good as the bread.</p><p>“Do ya really think we’d poison ya after all this time?” the human asks. It catches Kyungsoo’s attention, but he simply frowns at him before grabbing the bread first. His hands are still stained purple. “So, ya have any new abilities or something when ya bleed purple?”</p><p>Kyungsoo doesn’t give him an answer. Instead, he focuses on feeling the energy inside him as he eats. The heat still simmers throughout his body and it feels warmer than it has been, for as long as he can remember. It almost feels natural, and he glances back up to the human before reaching for the soup when he finishes half of his bread.</p><p>“If we open up the sun to ya longer, will your blood change colors?” When Kyungsoo looks back to the human, his lips are tilted up at one side with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “That’s interesting.”</p><p>“Would ya stop talkin’ to him?” his partner calls out, and Kyungsoo glances over past the human’s shoulder to see his partner tapping his foot on the ground. “It’s freaky.”</p><p>Kyungsoo isn’t sure if the second human is calling him freaky or the way his partner is talking to him is freaky. Either way, he looks away from them to finally sip on the soup. He stares at it. It’s not that bad.</p><p>“I read the reports,” the human continues on anyway. Kyungsoo ignores him. “The way they described ya and your partner back then sounded like those mythological phoenix birds.”</p><p>“Wouldja stop it?”</p><p>“They described ya as physically looking like large birds with the tips of your feathers and head engulfed in flames. Is that even a thing? Where the hell did ya come from?” the man says, tilting his head at him, when Kyungsoo glances up. “I couldn’t get past the security shit to see where ya originated from. I can tell it’s not from Earth, though. We don’t have freaky shit like ya here.”</p><p>Oh, right. They’re on Earth. Kyungsoo wants to do many horrible things to his Light when he sees him again. He scowls down as he finishes his soup before returning to his bread.</p><p>“Reports said that ya were extremely powerful but I don’t know what they did or ya did for ya to end up in this cage, if ya were this ‘so-called strong alien.’ Could ya spit fire or something? Pretty sure ya could’ve just destroyed us and left.”</p><p>“Shut it, man!”</p><p>“What? I want to know! They kept his partner away from him. That has to mean something!”</p><p>Kyungsoo glances to the second human again before finally grabbing his glass of water. The liquid is refreshing. It feels like it revitalizes whatever’s felt like it died within him. He scowls again when the human speaks up, again.</p><p>“Earth isn’t the greatest planet. We still haven’t found Bigfoot or the Lochness Monster, but we found some type of phoenixes? Tell me our planet isn’t messed up.”</p><p>At this, Kyungsoo feels perplexed. He stares at the human as he keeps talking.</p><p>“I’m not saying that ya should be free to destroy us, but by all means, I probably wouldn’t even mind it. World is a piece of shit.”</p><p>Kyungsoo agrees to the negative sentiments. If he was free, he would probably wreak havoc to all those who’ve tortured him and his Light. He would probably fly up high, something he hasn’t done in who knows how long, but he also isn’t sure how he’s supposed to do that. He curls his fingers, hands clenching into fists, because he can’t remember how he assumed this form in the first place.</p><p>The human stares at him for another moment before huffing. “But if ya were a bird, why do ya look human now? Did ya slip up somewhere and that’s why ya got caught? And then ya tried to escape but couldn’t?”</p><p>That piques Kyungsoo’s interest. He can’t recall, but there should’ve been no indication <i>that</i> was the next choice of topic. It’s either this human simply wants to ramble and attempt to take some type of information from him or… He glances to the other human in the area before looking back down to the tray.</p><p><i>My Light</i>, he calls. He doesn’t know where he is, but the way this human talks to him alludes to the fact that his Light is still alive. He has to be somewhere in the area, though he’s never left this cage since first placed in it. <i>Light</i>.</p><p>“Are ya done? I’m going to take that tray back now.”</p><p>There’s metal scraping and it pulls Kyungsoo’s attention away from focusing his energy into searching for his Light. He and the human maintain eye contact as he reaches in further through the small opened gateway, but Kyungsoo has no reason to attack him. It’ll only cause the other human in the corner to panic and Kyungsoo doesn’t want to be beaten or maimed further. Kyungsoo attempts to re-focus his energy, while glancing down to watch the tray leave his cage.</p><p><i>Light</i>. The gate closes and Kyungsoo looks up, to see the human still staring at him. <i>Light!</i> The human stands with the tray in his hands. He’s staring down at him now and suddenly, Kyungsoo feels a sudden <i>thud</i> in his chest. He glances up to the sky, but all he sees are rocks and metal.</p><p><i>My…</i> he hears. It’s soft, faint, but Kyungsoo can feel it. He can feel his blood rushing through his body, the purple stains on the gravel barely brightening.</p><p>“Well, that was interesting,” the human drawls, before he turns to go to the other still standing far from them. “I’ll bring back dinner later. Oh, maybe a late dinner? It’s already getting late.”</p><p>“Would ya shut up already? This is nerve-wracking.”</p><p>“I don’t see why. He can’t do anything in there.”</p><p>Kyungsoo waits until they’re out of sight. It shouldn’t make a difference, but as long as they’re not physically near him, he can look around the cage freely. It’s reinforced metal, melded into the ground and going further than what he can remember ever digging up when he first arrived. He can remember the rocks and gravel roughing up the texture of his fingers, causing him to bleed, and he looks down at his fingers to see if they’ve healed at all since then. The tips are still raw, a barely faded yellow if he looks hard enough, and he glances to the fresh purple still decorating the rocks near him. He grabs at them.</p><p>The purple turns brighter the longer he stares, the longer he <i>feels</i> the blood rushing through him. He can feel another dull thud pound in his chest and he holds his breath at the thought of what that means. But he’s not strong enough, he knows he isn’t.</p><p>
  <i>Star…</i>
</p><p>He needs more sunlight.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Artificial. Every single light he sees in this cave is artificial and it barely sustains his energy needed to keep his focus on his Light’s voice in his head. It’s irritating trying to bathe in material so <i>superficial</i> and he crushes the rocks in his hands at the anger he feels surge within him. It’s enough to fuel his energy, to have a temporary boost and make it spike, that with one blink, he suddenly sees newfound darkness around him. It should startle him, raise his instincts ten times higher than considered normal in this situation, but it doesn’t.</p><p>There’s a gentle warmth that fills the void of his sight. It settles in his core, gently pulsating through to the rest of his body, but it feels different. There’s fear that mixes within and he watches as his head tilts down the slightest bit. Sheer darkness, yet Kyungsoo can see it when his Light blinks and stares at the hardened floor beneath him, a contrast to the disheveled state of his own cell.</p><p><i>Light</i>, he calls. There’s another blink, a slow one, before his head tilts to the side. If he stares hard enough, exerts that smallest bit of energy more, he can see chains looped and hooked around his Light’s left wrist. He feels his breath stutter to a stop at the sight, watches as his Light looks the other way to show him how wrung out he is, how his arms are stretched out far away from his body, and how he’s simply left kneeling on the hard ground.</p><p>Suddenly, his vision jerks. His body shakes, and Kyungsoo watches as a light is turned on within seconds. It illuminates the large room his Light is in and it makes his vision swim. His Light squints his eyes at the sudden brightness, but when he focuses his vision again, Kyungsoo forgets how to breathe.</p><p><i>Light</i>, he calls again, <i>Where are you?</i></p><p>Kyungsoo knows his Light can’t respond. It takes too much energy to be able to connect like this but for once, Kyungsoo is strong enough to feed this link between them. He stares past the nothingness of his own cell, to stay within his Light’s head to see what he sees, and feels the flames burning within him when he sees a different human step forward past the light shining in front of them.</p><p>This human is different. There’s a clear dangerous aura surrounding them and Kyungsoo stares as he wonders what they are. They don’t appear distinctly male like the one who visits him time and time again.</p><p>“Our little birdie is awake,” they croon out, taking another step closer to him, until they can reach out with a hand to touch his face. Kyungsoo can’t feel it, but he knows the human is running a finger along his Light’s cheek. He can see it in the reflection of their eyes. “It took you quite some time, this time.”</p><p>Slowly, his Light’s head is tilted up, further than he was able to do on his own, and it gives Kyungsoo the perfect advantage to stare up at the ceiling. The entire area he’s in is surrounded by concrete. A metal slab is latched onto a portion of the ceiling and Kyungsoo frowns as his head is tilted down and to the side instead. The chains extend farther than he expected, into the side walls. There’s no actual cell surrounding him.</p><p>“I suppose we didn’t give you enough moonlight to allow you to speak,” the human comments, tilting his head the other way this time. There are two more humans in the room. The human tilts his Light’s head forward again and Kyungsoo stares into their eyes as they stare back at him. They look confused. “Your eyes are glimmering.”</p><p>His Light blinks, but Kyungsoo knows their eyes are still glimmering. It’s something that happens when he’s able to connect with his Light’s vision and there’s no way to prevent it from happening. This is the first time they’ve allowed it to happen though, if this human’s words are anything to go by.</p><p>“Is this a new special power of our little birdie? I thought we broke you down enough.”</p><p>Suddenly, there’s a scream. It reverberates in Kyungsoo’s body and he watches, horrified, as his Light is stretched thin. He’s pulled higher up into the air and his Light tilts his head to the side as far as he can, to show him how the metal digs into his wrists enough to cause them to turn a vibrant red. <i>The metal is</i> burning <i>you?!</i> he screeches, and then his Light’s body falls forward, limp again.</p><p>There’s a moment of silence, where Kyungsoo can see his Light’s body heave to take in deep breaths, and then the human is stepping forward again to force his face up to see them. “Perhaps,” they breathe, tilting his face side-to-side. His Light can barely keep his eyes open now. “It’s simply a side effect from not receiving enough moonlight, even though we’ve given this much before.” They click their tongue before stepping away again but this time, his Light tries to keep his head up to watch them leave.</p><p>Nothing else is done to him. The humans stand there solely to observe and Kyungsoo keeps trying to feed energy into their connection. He wants to see what else they’ll do, but he can already feel his Light giving into the temptation of sleep. He needs to rest if these humans won’t give him more light to feed from, and he doesn’t know when that’ll be again. They might end his life right now, and Kyungsoo will be trapped, alone, until they decide to bring him back.</p><p><i>Light</i>, Kyungsoo calls quietly. He can see his Light taking longer blinks, periods of darkness growing longer than the brightened view in front of him. <i>Light, rest now</i>.</p><p>There’s a soft murmur in the back of his mind. It gives him reason to pour more energy as he strains to listen to what his Light wants to say. He stares as his eyes finally close.</p><p><i>My Star</i>.</p><p>Kyungsoo blinks at the name, at how it still sounds so fond despite on the verge of death, that he doesn’t realize his mind has transferred back into his body in his cell. He doesn’t even register the human—<i>his human</i> by now—, crouching in front of him beyond his cell, with his chin on his hand propped up on his knee looking positively disinterested.</p><p>“It looks like you’re back,” the human drawls out. He doesn’t move from his spot. “That was weird.”</p><p>If he was in the place of the human, he’d understand.</p><p>“Anyways, I’m here to take some blood.” He pats a dark bag next to him, one Kyungsoo hadn’t even noticed yet. “I’m going to go in there and take it. Ya gonna fight me on it?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at him. He still doesn’t move from his spot, but it’s starting to irritate Kyungsoo all the same.</p><p>“Humans will never be able to acclimate to our blood,” he answers quietly, watching as the human simply heaves a deep sigh, as if <i>he’s</i> the one suffering instead. “You’ve drained me dry. What difference will this time make?”</p><p>The human shrugs this time, finally standing from his spot, before he stretches. “I don’t really care,” he says, twisting his torso. Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow when he hears a distinct <i>pop</i>. It doesn’t faze the human. “I don’t want your blood, but my boss wants it, so I gotta get it. Is it still purple?”</p><p>At that, Kyungsoo glances down to his hands. The blood has already dried, a crusty pale purple taking its place from before, and he’s not entirely certain it’s still the same color. By this time and the amount of energy he’s used, his blood has probably turned into a deeper red instead. “Does the color matter for you?” he asks, already eyeing the gravel next to him. He remembers they took his blood when it was orange and yellow.</p><p>“I’m assuming they wanted to run tests when your blood is purple.”</p><p><i>When my blood is purple…</i> Kyungsoo murmurs in his mind. He doesn’t think it’s purple anymore, but he focuses a small amount of energy into his hands anyways. His nails grow a bit longer, a bit sharper as the result, and then he runs the tip of his right index finger’s nail across his left palm. The skin cuts easily and he watches as red flows out of the opening. It’s a deep color, bordering on a brighter hue, and he stares at his palm a moment longer before holding out his hand for the human to see. “It’s no longer purple,” he announces, gauging the human’s reaction.</p><p>And honestly, there isn’t one. The human simply stares at it, glances up to meet his eyes, then stares at the bag next to him. “Well, shit,” he murmurs, before he reaches up with a hand to scratch the back of his head. He sighs next and Kyungsoo takes that as an invitation to lower his hand. The blood continues to ooze out, slowly coating part of his palm, and he lets himself take the initiative to use more of his energy to heal the wound. It’s superficial, only taking a few minutes to start its own healing process. “I’m already here, though,” the human grumbles. The sound of metal clanking together gets Kyungsoo’s attention and he whips his head up to see the human already making his way inside the cage.</p><p>“What are you doing? My blood isn’t at what you desire.”</p><p>“It isn’t what <i>I</i> desire,” the human argues, locking the cage again, before turning to face him. “It’s what my <i>supervisors</i> desire. They want your purple blood. Ya don’t got it, so I’ll just get them what ya currently have so they can shut up about wanting new samples.”</p><p>Kyungsoo doesn’t understand that logic. “That doesn’t seem practical,” he says in return, watching as the human sits down in front of him with his legs crossed. He puts the bag beside him again and lays a hand on top of it.</p><p>“Yeah, <i>you</i> say it isn’t practical makes it sound worse than it is.” The human raises an eyebrow at him again. “Give me your right arm.”</p><p>Kyungsoo hesitates for a second before doing as told. Despite his strange attitude, he can sense a different type of aura from this human. “Have I battled you before?” he asks. He watches as the human opens up the bag and pulls out several items from it.</p><p>The human snorts, grabbing a hold of his arm and cleaning an area in the juncture of his elbow. “I wouldn’t call it a battle, but yeah. I beat ya.”</p><p>That makes sense. Kyungsoo frowns at the answer. “You ended my life.”</p><p>“Mhm,” the other hums. “Twice.”</p><p>“This is why you’re the one who consistently visits me.”</p><p>“Sure is.”</p><p>Kyungsoo hisses when he feels a sudden sting in his arm. When he looks down, it’s to see the human remove a needle from his arm but a small tube fills with his blood before the human connects it to a small vial. It’s red but verges on orange by the fifth vial. “If your desired color is purple, I will require more sunlight,” he murmurs quietly. He already feels weak.</p><p>“I figured,” the human says, his tone light. “Your blood depends on the amount of sunlight ya receive. The more ya obtain, the stronger ya get.” When Kyungsoo looks up at him, the human shrugs. “I don’t know why the higher-ups wanted to keep that a secret, but it’s easy to figure it out when I’ve been watching ya for as long as I have.”</p><p>The seventh vial fills and then there’s an eighth.</p><p>“Are you going to drain me completely?” Kyungsoo can’t help but ask. His blood is still orange. “Where are you keeping my partner?”</p><p>At that, the human whistles, long and low. “Not my orders today,” he answers, “and ya know I’m not going to release that information. There’s no telling what ya two would do when reunited.”</p><p>Kyungsoo growls softly at that. “You want the world to burn. We can do that.”</p><p>“Oh, I know ya can. Ya can probably kill me with your full strength <i>and</i> with your partner, but what I’m concerned about is the people in charge of this shit is still going to survive somehow and that annoys the fuck outta me. I’ve seen those movies. It can happen.”</p><p>“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kyungsoo says in return. He frowns when the human glances up at him and smiles.</p><p>“Talking like a normal human,” he murmurs, pulling the tube out of his arm and pressing a small white cloth to it. “That sure took some time.”</p><p>Time is relative, and Kyungsoo still doesn’t understand this human and his intentions. It aggravates him and it worsens when he hears the human chuckle instead, but he doesn’t say anything else after that. All he does is prepare his items to leave—separates the sharp materials from the rest, puts the blunt materials back in the bag, leaves the sharp materials rolled up in something else next to the bag. Kyungsoo recalls him doing this before and has settled to call it a weird habit.</p><p>The human is still pressing the cloth to his arm, but then he finally returns his attention to it. He lifts up the corner of the cloth to peer underneath and Kyungsoo takes the moment to stare a little closer at this human’s features. For someone who has visited him time and time again, for however long he’s been trapped here, the human doesn’t appear elderly. In fact, he appears young and that could be due to his age, though Kyungsoo can’t remember the age range of these humans.</p><p>“Well,” the human mutters, pulling the cloth away completely. “That concludes my duties for the day.”</p><p>When Kyungsoo looks down, the bleeding on his arm has stopped. There’s only a smudge of orange now and he rubs at it to see if it’ll come off.</p><p>“Ya know, I always wonder why they kill ya off.” That statement catches Kyungsoo’s attention. The human has returned to staring at him, with his cheek in the palm of his hand this time, and there’s no hint of emotion on his face. “I mean, I do feel kinda bad for ya guys. It’s a bit excessive when you’re already hitting rock bottom and can’t fight your way out.”</p><p>There’s an opening, but Kyungsoo scoffs at that. “We never truly die.”</p><p>The human hums, “I can see that. Some type of phoenix shit.”</p><p>“I still don’t understand your reference to these phoenix creatures,” Kyungsoo lets himself say. He’s never heard of these phoenix creatures before. “I imagine they are from Earth.”</p><p>The human raises his eyebrow. “They aren’t real,” he starts off. Kyungsoo frowns at that. “Not sure who started it, but phoenixes are a myth—a species that someone made up and has been passed down for generations. They’re basically birds of fire, able to heal, regenerate, whatever. They can burn to ashes but rise again and come alive.”</p><p>With each word he hears, Kyungsoo can see how they’re similar.</p><p>“Powerful shit. Sometimes, they’re birthed from the flames themselves,” the human looks up briefly before looking back down at him. “Well, I think anyways. I can show ya a picture sometime. I can even frame it, if ya want.”</p><p>Kyungsoo is certain this human is becoming stranger each minute he’s in his presence. “There is no need,” he answers, because it looks like the human is waiting for his input. He doesn’t understand what is happening.</p><p>“If ya say so,” the human quips before he finally stands and stretches again. Kyungsoo has to tilt his head back to see him properly. “Even though I feel bad, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m a simple employee to the higher man.” Then, he tilts his head down and grins at him. “Give me a front seat view if ya destroy the world, though. That’ll be fun.”</p><p>At this point, Kyungsoo has no idea how to respond to this human. He simply stares at him, watches as he leans down to grab his materials, and makes his way back to the entrance of the cage. When he opens it, Kyungsoo feels the need to ask. “Why do you excessively converse with me?”</p><p>At that, the human pauses. He turns to look over his shoulder at him and takes a moment to stare. He shrugs after a few minutes. “I’m bored,” he simply says, turning to leave the cage and lock it up again. “Ya pique my interest. Nothing else to it.” He taps on the metal. “Anyways, I’ll be back later to bring ya your meal.” He leaves after that, with all the materials he came in with, and Kyungsoo can’t help but stare until the human disappears from view.</p><p>He has no idea what time of day it is. He can’t feel if the sun is more prominent in the sky or if it’s the moon, and he frowns as he searches the area once more to see if there’s a sliver of a hint to the amount of natural light outside these walls. Of course, there’s nothing. There never is, and he has no indication to how his Light is doing wherever he is. All he knows is that he isn’t dead yet.</p><p>Kyungsoo scowls to himself, looking back to the ground and staring at his dried blood on the gravel. He picks up another handful and crushes it in his hands. If he focuses his energy enough, he can still feel that dull thud in this chest.</p><p><i>As long as you do not die, my Light</i>, he murmurs.</p><p>He doesn’t expect a response back.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Six meals later, in what Kyungsoo assumes has been at least one full Earthen day, he wakes to a sudden warmth enveloping his body. He can see a bright light above him, even behind his closed eyelids, and he soaks it in before he opens his eyes to confirm it. He automatically squints at it, staring at the spaces beside the bright light, and widens his eyes in shock when he sees a backdrop of blue behind it.</p><p>The sky has never seemed so clear before—the <i>sun</i> has never seemed so bright before—and Kyungsoo can’t help staring at all of it trying to imprint this image into his mind for a lifetime. It’s a strange feeling after being denied its conscious presence for so long.</p><p>“That didn’t even take thirty minutes before ya woke up,” someone comments. Kyungsoo instantly groans at it. “Hey, I’m pretty sure ya appreciate my presence.”</p><p>When Kyungsoo lets his head fall to the side, the heat of the sun falls onto the side of his face instead. It’s a welcomed warmth, but the sight of the human crouching again with his chin in his palm is not. He’s simply staring at him and, this time, his scared partner is far behind him. “How long has it been?” he asks. He knows he hasn’t died yet.</p><p>“Since I grabbed some of your blood? It’s been three days.”</p><p>Slowly, Kyungsoo can feel himself gaining strength. “You’re here for more,” he concludes, tilting his head back to face the sun. He’s missed her warmth.</p><p>“Ya got it, fire bird,” the human drawls. “Instructed to leave the sun on ya for eight more hours. Well, seven, now.”</p><p>“This is insanity,” the second human whispers, though it isn’t soft at all. “Why are ya actin’ as if yer best friends?!”</p><p>“Because, unlike ya, I actually do my job. Not my fault we talk more than expected.”</p><p>Kyungsoo scoffs at that but doesn’t say anything else. He simply lies there, taking in the view of the open air, and wonders if he can reach his Light with this newfound energy.</p><p>“I do my job!”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, newbie.”</p><p>It’s strange to hear two different voices in the area with him. For the past few days, it’s only been his human and he wonders briefly where the other one has been all this time. Though, if he had to guess, it doesn’t even really matter. The second one probably doesn’t even need to be here. His human can kill him whenever he wants, and that should be enough to not care about anything else.</p><p>“So,” the human starts off again. Kyungsoo glances at him out of the corners of his eyes. “When you’re strong enough, do ya have tricks to show us?”</p><p>“What the fuck,” his partner deadpans.</p><p>But all it does is make Kyungsoo tilt his head to the side to fully face his human, and stare at him, before he scoffs, amused for once. “Haven’t you battled me twice? You have seen my tricks,” he answers. The sunlit warmth is making him feel energetic. “Any tricks I may show will frighten you humans.”</p><p>“Hey, don’t lump us all in together.”</p><p>“Aren’t you all the same?” Kyungsoo argues back, turning back to face the sun. “Boastful, tempered, scared. You fight for your own personal life. Anything beyond that requires a sense of loyalty to someone else, seemingly higher than you in rank.” He breathes in deep then, closing his eyes. “Humans are nothing more than idiotic creatures who think they can do more than they actually can, and then blame their failures on something else other than themselves.”</p><p>There’s a soft hum. “I should take offense to that,” his human comments, “But I can’t argue with that. We’re idiots.”</p><p>Kyungsoo feels himself smirk, the corner of his lips tilting up. “At least, you can admit it.”</p><p>A blanket of silence falls over them after that. Kyungsoo isn’t sure if he slips into sleep or not, but he’s aware when he hears the humans start moving around in the area. He can hear the shuffling of their feet, the sound of their voices, and items being moved around. He doesn’t realize how much time has passed when he hears the door of his cage open.</p><p>“Fire bird,” the human calls, placing the tray of food on the ground next to him. “Meal time.”</p><p>When Kyungsoo looks to the sky, it’s still bright but the placement of the sun has moved. It’s probably been five hours since he first felt the sun on his face and the difference in strength is only noticeable when he moves from his spot.</p><p>Everything seems to react smoother. His limbs don’t feel as heavy and there’s this vibrant <i>energy</i> he can feel emanating from the center of his body. It radiates throughout him and when he lifts a hand to stare at his palm, all the minor scratches and cuts have completely healed. His veins even appear to be strong, more prominent, against his dark skin. He hasn’t felt like this in a long time.</p><p>“So, what color is your blood now?”</p><p>Kyungsoo instantly reaches out to cut his palm again, like the first time a few days ago, and he and his human watch as a deep red verging on purple flows from the wound. It doesn’t surprise him how quickly he can regain his strength when given the proper resources, but it seems to pique his human’s interest because he whistles long and low as a result.</p><p>“Let me take some before ya eat,” he says, before he’s turning and instructing the other human to get that bag. “If I get your blood after ya eat, it won’t be as fresh.”</p><p>“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kyungsoo says in response, but then he focuses energy into his palm again and watches the cut heal.</p><p>“There’s a thing called fasting,” the human explains. “When humans get blood work done, it’s typical to be fasting—or have no food in your body—before your blood is taken. Wait, are ya able to heal that cut this quickly now?”</p><p>Kyungsoo looks up from his palm, where it’s still faintly glowing and stitching the blood vessels and skin back together. “This is not quick,” he answers, frowning at him. “This isn’t the typical speed at which I heal.” He glances behind the human to see the other one jogging back into the area with the bag in his hand.</p><p>The human scoffs. His hands are on his hips now and Kyungsoo can’t discern if the pose amuses him or irritates him. “It’s faster than it was three days ago.”</p><p>“Here.”</p><p>“Three days ago, I didn’t have this much sunlight,” Kyungsoo informs, watching as the human grabs the bag before walking around the tray of food to sit beside him. The gate closes and Kyungsoo stares as the human puts out a hand towards him, palm up.</p><p>“Come on. Give me your arm.”</p><p>Kyungsoo scowls as he gives him his arm.</p><p>The process this time is quiet. They all simply watch as the human works on poking and inserting the small tube into his arm again, but then the vials start to fill quickly. By the fifth one, the human grabs one of the filled vials and lifts it up to the sun. Kyungsoo isn’t sure why, but when he looks up to observe, he can see the sparkles of purple that shine within the deep red of his blood. It’s a beautiful sight and he wonders briefly what it’d look like when he’s at his best, his most pure form.</p><p>“Almost done,” the human murmurs, hooking up the eighth vial to be filled. “I don’t know if they want eight or ten, but I think ten is excessive. With the rate you’re healing, they can always wait to get more at this level. Whenever that is.”</p><p>Kyungsoo remains silent as the human finishes up. A cloth is held onto the juncture of his elbow again and he watches as the human starts separating and packing up his non-sharp items. It doesn’t take long and Kyungsoo stares as the human peers under the cloth again to see the area where he’s poked him.</p><p>“Man, I really wanna fight ya again when you’re fully healed,” the human murmurs. He gathers his things and moves away but when Kyungsoo glances up, the second human outside of the cage is staring at them with wide eyes and an open mouth. “I bet it’ll be fun.”</p><p>“Thirsty for blood,” Kyungsoo returns, turning to grab his tray closer to him. “Another human fact.”</p><p>The human shrugs, “I didn’t say I want your blood. I said I wanna fight. I want the practice.”</p><p>“<i>No</i>,” the second human practically shrieks, once the cage is closed off again. “Ya don’t!”</p><p>“Hey, I haven’t had a decent fight since then.”</p><p>“Ya don’t need one!”</p><p>Kyungsoo scoffs at them before he finally turns to his food. It appears different this time, more meat than anything else, and he stares at it confused before he looks to the two humans talking to each other outside his cage. He’s not entirely sure if this change is something beneficial or not, but he supposes he doesn’t really have a choice. Though his stomach doesn’t ache as it did before he received the sunlight, he can feel an emptiness within it. He takes in a deep breath before he takes his first bite.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When the sun finally falls away from view, the hatch to the area is closed up. It leaves him surrounded by artificial lights, but it doesn’t matter anymore. He can feel his blood singing, his energy rising, and Kyungsoo stares as his human simply watches him from beyond his cage. Nothing has been said since the sun was closed off from him, but he knows there really isn’t anything significant to say. All he wonders is if his human can now see a physical difference in his being.</p><p>It must be strange to even sit in a place this dark, not saying a single word, but his human appears more fascinated than anything. Suddenly, Kyungsoo wonders if there’s something showing on his face, if there’s any indication whatsoever about the power he now feels flowing through his veins. “What are you waiting for,” he feels the need to ask, and then grimaces when he sees the human yawn in response. He’s sitting on a chair facing backwards, leaning over the back of it with his arms crossed on top. He lowers his head until his chin is resting on them.</p><p>“Something interesting to happen, honestly,” his human answers. “Was told to watch ya all night.”</p><p>Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at that. “Weren’t you conscious for most of the day?” He’s certain the human was awake for most of the day.</p><p>“Yup,” the other answers, yawning again. “I’m gonna die before the night is over.”</p><p>“Would it not make sense to have another human keep watch over me?” Kyungsoo asks.</p><p>“You’d think, huh? But they say I got the best chance to keep ya under control.”</p><p>Kyungsoo frowns at that. “What do you presume will happen with me?”</p><p>The human shrugs this time, attempting to get comfortable in his chair. “Couldn’t give a shit. But orders are orders.” He blinks slowly a few times, before he yawns again. “Man, I’m tired as fuck.”</p><p>At that, Kyungsoo grimaces. “That makes the most sense,” he mutters, raising an eyebrow when the human simply hums in response. They don’t say anything else, but Kyungsoo can only assume that’s a good thing. Before he knows it, he suddenly feels another dull thud in his chest. It’s reminiscent of the moment days before and he holds his breath in anticipation of what it could mean.</p><p>He doesn’t know how long he feels it, a consistent, dull thud every few minutes, but he gauges the reaction of the human in front of him while he waits. His human is still awake, but he appears drowsier as the time passes. Another yawn, and that’s fifteen now.</p><p>“Man, I know ya can’t do anything in there,” the human mumbles, finally closing his eyes for longer than a few seconds. “Even if ya did, I would wake up and be able to fight ya.”</p><p>Kyungsoo doesn’t respond to that. He simply stares as the human finally dozes off. Once he does, he attempts to feed the connection again between him and his Light. He’s surprised that, with one blink, he’s suddenly staring at concrete below him, shining with the moon’s light.</p><p><i>My Star</i>, his Light says quietly. It catches him off-guard. <i>They finally feed us at the same time</i>.</p><p><i>My Light</i>, Kyungsoo calls in return, watching as his Light’s gaze runs across the ground in front of him, before lifting up to look around them. There’s one human in the area with him and Kyungsoo can tell this one is female. She’s simply staring at him, as if disinterested, before looking away to her hands and something on her lap. Kyungsoo can’t tell what it is. <i>Where are you?</i></p><p>His Light’s gaze falls back down to the ground. <i>Underground</i>, he answers. <i>They fear me too much</i>.</p><p>Kyungsoo snorts in his head at that. <i>You are most terrifying at your full strength</i>.</p><p>
  <i>As is the reason they keep me weakened beyond doubt. My Star, where are you located?</i>
</p><p>Kyungsoo still isn’t sure. <i>All I know is that I am above ground, in a cave-like structure. Rocks and gravel surround me</i>. He can’t glance around to describe more. He can’t see his own perspective when he’s using his energy like this. <i>They have left the sun on me far longer than before. I feel as if I am near maximum strength</i>.</p><p>There’s a moment of silence, where Kyungsoo can see his Light blinking down at the ground, and he knows he’s thinking. He was never one for planning and executing, but his Light always was.</p><p><i>Find me tomorrow night, my Star</i>, his Light suddenly says, blinking down at the ground again. <i>I can see the moon’s phases from my position. The moon will be in the phase waxing gibbous tomorrow. Conserve your energy</i>.</p><p>Kyungsoo’s heart speeds at the words. <i>Light—</i></p><p><i>I will barely have enough energy to leave with you. With the moon almost full, I will be able to regain most of my strength once we’re free of this place</i>. Kyungsoo can hear his Light’s soft laughter in his head. <i>Why are you speechless now, my Star? I will see you soon</i>.</p><p>Kyungsoo isn’t sure why he can’t fathom a response, but it’s beautiful to hear his Light’s laughter again. <i>Stay alive</i>, he murmurs, hearing him hum in response. <i>I will find you</i>. He can feel their connection severing, his Light trying to close off the link.</p><p><i>I am assured you will</i>.</p><p>When Kyungsoo blinks again, it’s to see his human squinting at him from his position in the chair. He mimics his facial expression back at him, glaring, and watches as that earns him an amused snort from the human. He doesn’t feel any weaker than he did before though, even when the human took more blood samples when the sun was setting.</p><p>“Shimmering,” the human mutters out, lifting a hand to point at him. “Your eyes were glowing in the dark. That’s some freaky shit to wake up to.”</p><p>At that, Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “You’re lacking in loyalty.”</p><p>“I never said I’m loyal to these motherfuckers,” the human quickly says, sighing, as he relaxes and closes his eyes again. “Just doing this for the money. A man’s gotta eat.”</p><p>There have been many species he’s seen where loyalty is a big factor in surviving this universe. It’s difficult to explore it alone without dying, but here this human is who doesn’t care at all what happens to the people here or the planet he lives on. There’s no real motivation behind him—<i>no dedication to anything</i>—and Kyungsoo can’t help but stare as the human falls back to sleep right in front of him. He’s so vulnerable. Kyungsoo could probably destroy the gate keeping him from escaping.</p><p>He shakes his head as he laughs quietly to himself. He shouldn’t do anything too rash. HIs Light has a plan and he should follow him through it.</p><p>The gravel doesn’t feel as rough when he lies back and closes his eyes to rest.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There’s no warmth when Kyungsoo wakes up. There’s not much noise, in fact, when he wakes up, but he does hear the softened sound of shuffling feet. It sounds different from his normal human and when he looks over, he sees the second human pacing in the far end of the area. This isn’t anything new, but it is unusual to see him the first moment he opens his eyes. He doesn’t even say a word to him. He simply sits up and attempts to assess his energy levels. He must’ve caused a sound though, because he suddenly hears the other human banging into something and shouting a short, “ow!”</p><p>“Yer awake!” the other quickly follows up with. When Kyungsoo looks over, he’s already looking around for something. “I have,” he says, pausing, before he runs out of the area. Kyungsoo can only stare as he’s left alone for who knows how long until the man comes walking back in while carefully holding a tray of food in his hands. “I’m tasked to give ya yer meal while my partner sleeps for a few hours.” He pauses then, again, in the middle of the room to stare at him with wide eyes. “Yer not gonna hurt me, right? I have food and water for ya.”</p><p>Kyungsoo can only take a moment to stare at this human. For some reason, he seems younger than his normal human. “I have no reason to harm you,” he finally says. He watches in fascination as this human’s body visibly relaxes at his words before he’s moving towards him again. “Have you become more comfortable with me?” he can’t help but ask.</p><p>The human opens up the smaller gate built into the first one, kneels, and slides his tray of food under it. His hands are shaking. “I wouldn’t say ‘more comfortable,’” he whispers when he closes the gate. He stares at the ground and lets out a slow, deep breath. “Just, I don’t know,” he glances up at him briefly before looking back down. “My partner treats ya like everyone else. Ya haven’t done anything since ya were locked up.” He taps his fingers against his knees. “I can believe yer not some alien species.”</p><p>That’s a strange statement to make, but Kyungsoo can understand his point of view. He’s been a threat before but to this human, he hasn’t made any indication that he’d harm him. Kyungsoo’s practically docile in this human’s presence. “Once my energy has been restored to its full,” he quietly says, gauging this human’s reaction. He freezes up, but not as much as before. “You will be able to see how foreign and powerful I am.”</p><p>“They took pictures of ya,” the human suddenly blurts out. It catches Kyungsoo off-guard, especially when the human lifts his head up to look at him. His eyes look like they’re sparkling of their own. “Ya and yer partner. When ya first arrived. Both of ya were beautiful. It looked like something from a fantasy book.”</p><p>“Fantasy book?” Kyungsoo echoes. He can feel his eyebrows scrunch together in his confusion, but then the human nods quickly.</p><p>“Yeah! They’re awesome. They show us things that could’ve been in a world as cruel as ours. It might’ve made everything better.”</p><p>Kyungsoo can’t help but stare at this human as he speaks. This human exudes a different type of aura compared to his usual one and it’s fascinating, for lack of a better word. It’s as if this man is innocent in a planet who’s treated them horribly and he wonders what would’ve happened if this man was at the forefront of their capture. They might’ve not been captured initially.</p><p>“Oh! But ya should eat,” the human suddenly says. “I need to take the tray when yer done.”</p><p>It snaps Kyungsoo out of his thoughts, but he doesn’t hesitate in looking down to his food and grabbing the utensils to start eating it. It appears the same as the night before and he finishes it within the time it takes for the human to start talking about another subject and other alien species he’s never actually heard of. Although, one species he talks about sounds remarkably similar to Kuanos he’s encountered in the past.</p><p>“Huh, I told ya you’re gonna be fine if ya just talked to him.”</p><p>When Kyungsoo leans around the human, it’s to see his usual one standing at the entrance of the area. He’s yawning and Kyungsoo’s surprised to hear the younger one panic before he stands.</p><p>“Calm down, will ya?” his human says, walking forward with his hands in his pockets. The human between them relaxes but Kyungsoo can still see he isn’t as relaxed as before. “Anyways, gonna take more blood later. Higher-ups seem to be pleased with whatever results they got from yesterday. Instructed to open the sun on ya for an hour or so to keep your blood at that weird purple color.”</p><p>“More?” the younger one squeaks.</p><p>His human nods, “Yup,” and then yawns.</p><p>Kyungsoo frowns as the human walks over to open up the hatch. “You are consistently yawning,” he comments, hearing him snort in return. “I assume humans need more rest than however many hours you took today.”</p><p>“Nice to hear ya care.”</p><p>Kyungsoo doesn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, he watches as the tray is removed from his cage and the younger human leaves the area. His human moves to grab the chair and gets comfortable in it, sliding down the seat a bit and leaning back against it, and then tilts his head back to release another yawn. This time, it makes Kyungsoo grimace.</p><p>“Don’t look at me like that. I’m tired as fuck,” his human calls out. It doesn’t stop him from grimacing though. “Anyways, wake me up in an hour if the kid doesn’t come back.”</p><p>There are many questions that float through Kyungsoo’s head, but he looks up at the sun anyways and nods. “Okay,” he answers, not knowing what else to do. He’s regaining more energy. That should be more than enough to agree to his human’s request.</p><p>“But as a question,” his human suddenly says. “What happens when ya get too much sunlight?”</p><p>It’s an open-ended question if Kyungsoo has any say in it and he hums to acknowledge it. He takes the moment to lie on his back again to stare at the sky and thinks. “Nothing, really,” he eventually answers. “I simply return to my full strength.”</p><p>Silence answers back and Kyungsoo tilts his head to see that the human has his head down with his eyes closed. If he focuses on his vision enough, he can see that the human’s chest is rising and falling rhythmically. He snorts at the image as he lies back to stare at the sky. It’s cloudy today, but it doesn’t stop the sun’s rays from falling on him. He cuts his palm again, out of curiosity, and watches as purple flows from the wound. When he moves his hand next to him to allow the sunlight to hit it, he smiles when he sees sparkles of blue glimmer in the blood.</p><p>It only takes a few seconds for him to heal his wound.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When night falls, Kyungsoo can feel it in his mind. He can feel the shift in his chest and he breathes in deep to soak it in. His human isn’t here at this moment, having taken his empty tray back to wherever he originally got it from, and Kyungsoo pulls at the energy within him to link his mind with his Light’s again. With a couple of blinks, he can see his Light’s vision.</p><p><i>My Star</i>, his Light calls. He sounds livelier and it brings a sense of calm to him. <i>Have you left yet?</i></p><p>Kyungsoo can see his Light staring down at concrete again. His arms are spread out wide and he’s kneeling, but there are also three humans in the room with him once more. <i>I will leave when you guide me to</i>, he answers, watches as his Light glances to the side before returning his stare to the floor. He hears his Light laugh softly before he closes his eyes.</p><p><i>Then come</i>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kyungsoo doesn’t have enough energy to transform into his true form, but he does have enough to coat his entire hand in flames. He stares as it burns a bright purple, reminiscent of his blood, and he smiles at the familiarity of it before he runs his hand along the sides of the gate. The heat makes the metal malleable and he doesn’t spare a second thought before he kicks the door down. It flies off easily.</p><p>There aren’t any humans in the area and he runs to the entrance of it to peek around the edges of the wall. At this time, he hasn’t heard much in the way of noise while he was in his cell and he waits and listens to hear if anybody is coming. He remembers humans rushing in to attack and capture them months after their arrival, but he doesn’t hear any sounds close to that. He frowns as he leaves the area he’s only known since his capture.</p><p>He keeps walking, keeps listening for any sounds of any humans, and when he finally hears some, he hides behind corners of walls or objects laying about. It’s surprisingly easy to sneak his way around and he takes the moment to link his mind with his Light’s again. He isn’t surprised to suddenly see a woman’s face in front of his own, staring at him and lifting up his chin even more.</p><p>“Glimmering,” she comments quietly, before Kyungsoo suddenly hears his Light’s screams. His eyes close but then his Light attempts to open them again to see past this human’s figure. There’s an entrance at the far end of the room and it looks like stairs that lead upwards, metal.</p><p>When Kyungsoo blinks again, he jumps when he sees his human standing next to him. He’s staring down at him with an eyebrow raised and his hands in his pockets, but he doesn’t look alarmed at all. They don’t even say anything. Kyungsoo isn’t sure if he needs to fight him in this situation or not. He isn’t even sure if he’ll come out alive this time if they <i>do</i> end up battling each other.</p><p>“I’m gonna see if ya can make it to your partner” is all the human says before he’s turning on his heel and walking away. He whistles some unknown tune and Kyungsoo can’t help but watch as the human goes back the way he came from. He has no idea what to think about that, but then he focuses on his task at hand.</p><p>It takes a lot of trial and error, of avoiding humans making their rounds and burning down what he can’t get through easily, but then he sees a door with a little black screen next to it. It’s different from the others with keyholes and Kyungsoo doesn’t hesitate walking up to it. He burns through the black screen before attempting to melt down the edges of the door, that he’s surprised when he feels another dull thud in his chest. He immediately connects the link to his Light and he frowns when he sees the humans leaving the room. He disconnects it and takes a step back, waiting for the door to open, but then it never does.</p><p><i>My Light</i>, he calls out, blinking to see his Light staring at the ground again. <i>Release a pulse of energy</i>.</p><p>“Wait,” someone suddenly calls out. It startles Kyungsoo into freezing in his spot. He knows he appears out of place with his dirtied appearance—he’s seen how pristine the entire facility is by now—, but the thought of being caught and dying again escapes him when he feels a sudden, hard thud beat in his chest. It’s the energy of his Light and he turns the moment a hand lands on his shoulder. He grabs onto the human’s arm with one hand while his other one engulfs itself in flames, before slamming his palm into the human’s chest. The fire spreads and the human screams, but all Kyungsoo has to do is glance at the second one for flames to erupt on his shoulders, too.</p><p>Slowly, more humans show up. Kyungsoo makes his way burning all of them into nothing more than ashes on the ground and he follows where he feels the residual pull of his Light’s energy.</p><p>It leads him to a different sector of the facility. It doesn’t appear as clean and well-maintained as the others he stumbled upon, but he can see the resemblance to the area where he was kept for years. A lone bolted door separates him from beyond and it doesn’t take more than heat and a well-executed pull to destroy the entrance. The stairs he sees when he tosses the door aside were the same ones he saw from his Light’s view and he rushes down the steps to finally lay eyes on him.</p><p>His Light is still hanging from the chains hung on either side of the far walls. He’s kneeling on the concrete with his head down and Kyungsoo feels something burn in his chest when he realizes his Light has lost consciousness again. “My Light,” he calls out, rushing over to him. He falls to his knees first, carefully reaching out with both hands to cradle his Light’s face, and he feels something ache within him when he can sense how low his Light’s energy has become.</p><p>When Kyungsoo removes one hand to summon his flames, the facility’s sirens sound. It’s loud, disconcerting in how noisy it is, but Kyungsoo focuses on lowering the intensity of his power instead. When it becomes a soft orange color, he touches his palm to his Light’s chest. The flames dance around his palm before entering him and Kyungsoo smiles when he sees his Light absorb his energy as if it were his own. It practically is, at this point.</p><p>“My Star,” he hears first. The nudge of a cheek against his open palm is what he feels next and Kyungsoo can’t help but laugh softly at the sight. “A bit more.”</p><p>“Of course, Light,” Kyungsoo murmurs quietly. He leans forward enough to lay his forehead against the top of his Light’s head, and then he’s removing the hand cradling his cheek. Kyungsoo reaches to his left, towards the chains, and he easily burns through the metal without touching it. Dull thuds echo within the area as the metal falls to the ground and Kyungsoo can feel it when his Light’s arm finally drops to his side. “I will release your other arm,” he informs, feels his Light nod his head in return.</p><p>When they hear footsteps approaching them, Kyungsoo is simply staring at his Light. They’re staring at <i>each other</i> and Kyungsoo can’t recognize this appearance on him. There’s a fine lined scar adorning his Light’s face, across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, and there are wider scars that run along his arms and wrists. His hair has changed into a silvery color and Kyungsoo’s surprised to see even his eyes are a different color.</p><p>“You still look the same, my Star,” his Light breathes out. He looks so tired but also so <i>happy</i>. Kyungsoo doesn’t know if he should be angry or not. Then, his Light’s gaze flicks to an area behind him. “They come.”</p><p>Instantly, Kyungsoo spins on his knees and lets his flames take over his body. He burns brightly in hues of red and purple and he waits until he can land eyes on these human’s faces before he lights them up. Their screams echo and it isn’t until his Light places a hand on his shoulder that he calms down enough to see the damage he’s caused.</p><p>A few of the humans he set on fire are already dead on the ground. The rest appear as if they can’t decide between running away and attacking them. “They call me Baekhyun,” his Light suddenly says. Kyungsoo thinks it doesn’t matter, not when they’re together again, but then he responds anyways, “Kyungsoo.”</p><p>“Even in their language, your name is beautiful.”</p><p>Kyungsoo rolls his eyes before he glances over his shoulder at him. “Are you capable of escaping?” he asks, watching as his Light nods.</p><p>“I will manage.”</p><p>There’s a sudden spark in his Light’s eyes. It screams of mischief and joy and Kyungsoo can’t believe how after all they’ve been through, his Light still has the same personality as when they first arrived to this planet. “Light,” he quietly says, confused. “What are you—”</p><p>There’s a sudden pat to his back. His Light’s hand taps his back a few times before tugging on his shirt and that pulls Kyungsoo’s attention forward. He puts up a shield of fire around them, effectively burning anything that gets shot at them, and then he feels something warm touch the back of his neck. It’s a kiss that warms him to his core and gives him an unexpected boost of energy.</p><p>“Transform,” his Light murmurs. “I’ll regain my full strength faster if we can escape through the hatch there.”</p><p>At that, Kyungsoo looks up to eye the hatch where they keep the moon separated from them. It looks similar to his own now that he has a personal eye on it and it shouldn’t be too much trouble. “Have you concern for any humans within this facility?”</p><p>His Light laughs. It sounds as beautiful and melodic as it does in their true forms. “Every human life is precious,” he answers, placing another kiss against his nape. “But aren’t you asking too late? You’ve already killed twenty of them.” Kyungsoo doesn’t mention the ones he killed on his way to find him. “Let them burn.”</p><p>Without a second thought, Kyungsoo focuses in pushing the energy in his core outwards. He hasn’t done this in so long. He can feel his own flames burning him along the edges of his arms and legs. He holds his breath with the change, can see himself growing taller, his presence becoming bigger, and before he knows it, he’s engulfed in flames and all it takes is pecking at the hatch once before nudging it hard with his head. It breaks off and falls outside of the area, burning whatever it touches, and Kyungsoo lets out this call as he feels his Light climb onto one of his legs.</p><p><i>Hold on, my Light</i>.</p><p>Within seconds, he’s jumping through the opened hatch before he spreads his wings. There are sirens and bright, artificial lights everywhere. Humans are scrambling about with their weapons, but none can touch him with the heat that radiates off of him. He feels his Light suddenly let go of his leg, to land on top of the building below them, and he dives down with him to wrap his wings around him with an opening at the top for the moon’s light to rain on him.</p><p>He can hear and feel the bullets aimed at them, but all he does is soak up the moon’s energy to provide a better shield for his Light while he recuperates. He looks around to see where all the humans are, but then a hand touching his feathers gathers his attention. “Let’s destroy this place,” his Light quietly says, amidst the chaos erupting around them. “I believe there is another being like us amongst them, but I’m not sure who it is. Nobody else should be captured and tortured like we were, though.”</p><p>Kyungsoo can easily agree to that. The building they’re standing on is slowly burning to the ground and all it takes is Kyungsoo focusing more energy into his eyes to set the nearest buildings on fire, too. <i>What do you mean by ‘another being like us?’</i> he asks, listening as the humans scream to evacuate. <i>Should I let these humans escape?</i></p><p>“End the lives of those with harmful intent.”</p><p>At that, Kyungsoo scoffs. It comes out as a strange sound in his alien form, but it makes his Light laugh anyways. <i>All humans have harmful intent</i>.</p><p>“Not all of them,” his Light argues, poking at his wing. “There are no visible scars on you. You were treated well in comparison. I’m glad.”</p><p>Kyungsoo takes the moment to stop and think, because his Light is right. <i>There are two humans who are incredibly strange</i>, he confesses. He wonders where they are now. <i>One doesn’t care if the planet burns to ashes, while the other one is entirely fascinated by unnatural subjects</i>. He turns his stare to another building, focusing on setting it on fire, and watches as flames start to eat it from the top of it.</p><p>“Then leave those two alive,” his Light quietly suggests. He runs his hands along his feathers again and Kyungsoo looks down to see him smiling at him. His hair glows in the moon’s light. He’s ethereal. “A few more minutes,” he informs, looking past him to the almost full moon above them. “I’ll be able to transform.” With the moon shining in his eyes, Kyungsoo doesn’t doubt that.</p><p>It only takes a few more minutes before his Light focuses on pushing his energy outwards. His transformation is similar to his, except his Light immediately pushes off of his feet to finish his change in the sky and spread his wings. He lets out a loud call, amusing Kyungsoo, and then he’s swooping in to destroy the surrounding buildings in one quick move.</p><p>Kyungsoo follows his lead. A certain happiness fills his chest when he gets to fly beside his Light once more. He almost forgets about the two humans who had watched him most over the past few years. The only reason he remembers about them is because his Light bumps his body into his own before flying up high to get away from the remaining humans trying to fight and capture them again.</p><p><i>A human is standing on that roof</i>, his Light informs. He tilts his head to the side and Kyungsoo follows his line of sight to see it’s his human standing there with weapons in his hands. Another younger human runs up to him from behind. <i>Oh, two humans</i>.</p><p>Kyungsoo snorts. <i>Those are the strange ones</i>.</p><p>Another bumps against his side. <i>Then go save them</i>.</p><p><i>I don’t even know if they want to be saved</i>, Kyungsoo mutters, but he flies over towards them anyways. His human doesn’t make a move to attack, so Kyungsoo takes the chance to land softly next to them. He controls the heat in his body, so that he doesn’t accidentally burn this building or the humans next to him, but he can see the way the younger human’s eyes sparkle as he stares up at him. <i>We will destroy this place</i>, he informs, watching as fear overtakes the fascination in the younger human’s eyes. <i>I will, however, spare you two</i>.</p><p>At that, his human lets out a disbelieving burst of laughter. “What am I gonna do about the money I need?” He then glances past him towards his Light, where he’s destroying the rest of the buildings. “Nice to see ya made it together, though.”</p><p>“Yer so <i>pretty!</i>” the other human suddenly exclaims.</p><p><i>I have no idea about the monetary value</i>, Kyungsoo answers with a laugh, <i>but you can find another way</i>.</p><p>“Yer not gonna hurt us?” the younger human asks, “Can I touch ya?”</p><p>Kyungsoo stares at him but nods his head anyways. He lifts up a wing in his direction and it amuses him when the human instantly reaches out to pet his feathers.</p><p>“I’m not gettin’ burned!”</p><p>“Ya know, it’s my job to kill and capture you if ya ever escaped,” his human drawls on. When Kyungsoo looks to him, his human is glancing away from him. “Kill the supervisors of this place, I don’t have a reason to stay.”</p><p>Something pulls on his wing and Kyungsoo looks down to see the younger human moving it to wrap around himself. It’s not all that strange to see, but it’s also <i>very strange</i> considering how scared this human was of him not even days prior. <i>I can arrange this</i>, he answers, looking back to his human. <i>Everyone in this place will burn to the ground, only you two will be spared</i>. Suddenly, there’s a loud explosion. The human huddled up close to him jumps at the noise but his human in front of him only leans around to see past him, and then whistles.</p><p>“Wreaking havoc, front row seat. Thanks for the view.”</p><p>Kyungsoo can’t believe he laughs at that. <i>Let go of your weapons, and I will take you to safety far from here</i>.</p><p>“Wait! I need to get my stuff!”</p><p>“Seriously, kid?”</p><p>Kyungsoo can’t help but watch in fascination as the younger human runs away and through a door. His human simply stands by and watches it all happen with him and Kyungsoo takes the moment to look around him to see his Light hovering over a building and releasing another call into the air. <i>We’ve already destroyed half the buildings</i>, he informs, hearing his human hum afterwards.</p><p>A few minutes pass by with no word from the younger human. Kyungsoo glances to his own next to him before taking off for the skies. <i>I will return</i>, he says, flying over to his Light to join him in destroying all the buildings on one side of the area.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” the human waves off. When Kyungsoo turns to look at him, he simply sits on the ground with his legs crossed and his chin in his palm.</p><p>Kyungsoo snorts at the image before he returns to his task, swooping down and pushing his way through concrete and metal to make the facility collapse. The size of the entire area surprises him, especially when he sees his Light disappear underground only to re-emerge next to a mountain farther away. <i>There is one more area</i>, his Light says. <i>Where are your humans?</i></p><p><i>They’re not my humans</i>, Kyungsoo murmurs, but he returns to where he left them. The younger one is back with a couple of bags and Kyungsoo stares at him confused before he lands next to them again. <i>Grab onto one of my legs. You will not burn</i>.</p><p>The younger human immediately latches onto him and it reminds Kyungsoo of an offspring to a parent. He doesn’t know if he’s amused or endeared, but then he glances to his human next to see him still staring at him. <i>What</i>, he calls out.</p><p>“I don’t know,” the human answers, placing a hand on his hip. “Will I still get a front row seat to watch this place burn?”</p><p>“Ya know,” the younger human says, “There’s probably something wrong with ya.”</p><p>His human nods, “Probably, but it’ll entertain me until we have to find a way home.” He then tilts his head and Kyungsoo stares at him until he looks over his own shoulder to see what he’s staring at. “Oh, helicopters are here. Military. Wow, yeah, I gotta have a front row seat to this. We gotta hide, kid.” His human quickly walks forward to grab his other leg and Kyungsoo doesn’t hesitate to push off of the building with his feet. He stares at the roof long enough for flames to spark and then he’s flying towards what appears to be brighter lights in the distance.</p><p>He flies between the trees, barely letting his flames burn to singe the leaves he passes, but then he’s landing quickly and reverting back to his humanoid form when the humans let go of his legs. He takes in a deep breath as they all stare at each other. His human looks interested and the younger one looks surprised. Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at them, “What is it?”</p><p>“Yer eyes are different colors,” the younger human blurts out. He points to his own face. “And ya have a scar here. Ya didn’t have that before.”</p><p>Kyungsoo tilts his head at him in confusion before looking to his human.</p><p>“Kid’s right,” he says. “Your right eye is glowing like the moon. Your left eye is darker. Did ya get hit in the face? Ya have a scar over your nose.”</p><p>Kyungsoo doesn’t recall being attacked in the face, but he does remember fighting his way through the humans in the facility. He should’ve automatically been able to heal, though. “I should’ve healed,” he answers, glancing at each of them again, before walking away. “Do not make me regret leaving you two alive.” Within seconds, he transforms into his true form before flying away. He doesn’t hear an answer in return, but he doesn’t need it, not when he sees his Light avoiding the helicopters in the sky.</p><p><i>My Star, we must escape</i>.</p><p><i>With your permission, let us burn them, too</i>, Kyungsoo requests. He comes up next to his Light and stares at him. His energy has seemed to increase the longer they’ve been in the moon’s light and he lets out a soft call to show his appreciation. <i>I will take the honor of destroying the last of the buildings</i>.</p><p>His Light laughs, increasing the heat around him to melt all the metal aimed towards him. <i>Then we will take to the sky</i>.</p><p>Kyungsoo laughs with him before he flies through the rest of the buildings.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“It’s strange to see humans age,” his Light suddenly says. Kyungsoo looks over from where they’re seated in the back of a small restaurant. They’re secluded in a booth, but he still doesn’t think it hides their appearance at all. His Light’s hair is still a silver color, but he’s wearing an object called <i>contact lenses</i> to hide the appearance of his bright blue eyes. It doesn’t help that he still wears one of Kyungsoo’s feathers as an earring or the barely healed scar that runs along his face. “Look, your humans are here.”</p><p>Kyungsoo glances away from his Light to see a man and a woman entering the restaurant. There’s another couple with them and he can recognize the younger human who was so fascinated with him all those years ago. “They’re not my humans,” he mutters quietly before he takes a sip of his water. “They’ve been fine all these years. We don’t need to keep checking up on them.”</p><p>At that, his Light snorts. “You were worried for an Earthen year straight after we disappeared into space. I’m surprised you recognized their energy signatures the moment we chanced a return.”</p><p>“I’m surprised they haven’t even been killed yet,” Kyungsoo murmurs, watching as the quartet follow after a host to a table across the room from them. “You’d think humans would try to scrub everything deemed ‘unpleasant’ from existence.” He looks away the moment the younger human looks up in his direction. It shouldn’t be a problem though. He’s wearing his own contact lenses to hide his mismatched eyes and his hair has grown longer. “Are you finished yet, Baekhyun? We should leave.”</p><p>“I didn’t even get my dessert yet, Kyungsoo. Hang on!”</p><p>Kyungsoo grimaces when his Light grabs onto his arm and tugs it. “Earthen food has really damaged you.”</p><p>His Light scoffs at that, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. “Those are harsh words, my Star,” he says quietly, laughing when all Kyungsoo does is shove him away. “I really like this place’s custard. Let’s order two and I’ll eat half of yours.”</p><p>There are many concerns. Kyungsoo is entirely sure their bodies aren’t made to consume human foods, but it doesn’t stop them from attempting to taste new ones every time they visit. He is also <i>entirely sure</i> they shouldn’t be visiting a planet that kept them captive for years, but they’ve also learned how to keep their identities a secret. Money doesn’t become an issue when they know the right humans and Kyungsoo groans as he takes his fourth bite of his custard before sliding it towards Baekhyun.</p><p>“I know you can definitely eat more than that,” his Light accuses, sliding it back towards him. “Stop being picky.”</p><p>“I’m <i>full</i>,” Kyungsoo argues, sliding it back. “Despite the custard having a refining taste, my Earthen stomach cannot expand more than its current state.”</p><p>“See! I told ya it was them!”</p><p>Suddenly, they whip their heads around to see the two humans standing next to them, staring as the younger one points a finger at them. His eyes sparkle as they did years ago and Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to do when the human pushes him over to sit next to him in the booth.</p><p>“Well, I’ll be damned. Ya checkin’ up on us?” the older one asks. His hair is turning grey now, but the way he stands with his hands in his pockets is familiar. “Ya care.”</p><p>“Ya look so human now,” the younger one whispers. “Ya still look the same as ya did eighteen years ago.”</p><p>“Eighteen feels like a lifetime,” his human breathes. He chuckles afterwards, “I’m an old man now.”</p><p>“Ya were old before.”</p><p>“Aren’t ya older too?”</p><p>Kyungsoo grimaces when they start bickering with each other. That seems to have still stayed the same and he gets reminded of all those times years ago when he was still kept captive.</p><p>“Ya been stickin’ with the name we gave ya?” his human asks. It pulls Kyungsoo out of his memories and he looks up at him before he scowls. All that does is make his Light laugh.</p><p>“He’s been sticking with Kyungsoo ever since we left,” his Light discloses. He finishes off his custard before starting on Kyungsoo’s leftovers. “I’ve been sticking with Baekhyun. We didn’t want to think up of new names and after a while, they became familiar.”</p><p>Both humans grin at Kyungsoo, almost as if they were hinting towards something he isn’t sure of yet, and he can’t help but frown at them in return. “Go back to your other humans,” he grumbles, taking a bite of his custard. “You’ll never see us again.”</p><p>“Aw, but I like seeing ya!” the younger human exclaims, leaning on the table and placing his chin on his palm to stare at them. “Ya still look cool despite that faint scar on yer face.”</p><p>“The feather thing is new, I see,” his human suddenly comments.</p><p>It pulls a hum from his Light. “It has some of Kyungsoo’s energy stored in it, in case something like what happened to us years ago happens again,” he answers. He takes a large gulp of his water before continuing. “We don’t expect it to happen again, but you never know.”</p><p>“Why did they even… treat ya that differently?” the younger human quietly asks. “I remember seeing some of the photos and reports before it was all destroyed.”</p><p>At that, his Light shrugs. “The woman said I seemed more powerful than Kyungsoo and my blood was different,” he murmurs, glancing at him. “My physical strength has always been greater than Kyungsoo’s, but his courage and skill are what pulls us through.”</p><p>“They discovered that our power is greater together,” Kyungsoo murmurs, “Once they separated us, those humans realized how weak and vulnerable we were.” He doesn’t say anything after that. He simply eats small bites of his custard and he flinches when the younger human slides closer to him to lightly bump shoulders with him. He doesn’t know why, but he can’t help but feel something bad settle in his core.</p><p>“We monitored the situation after ya left,” his human quietly says. “There was a search and millions of dollars spent to try and locate ya and your species. Nothing ever came up though.”</p><p>“Yeah,” the younger one adds on, “We laid low and changed our names so we couldn’t get caught up in it.”</p><p>There’s something telling in their voices. Kyungsoo can hear and feel it and when he looks up to Baekhyun, his amused smile confirms that thought. “You care,” he accuses. He faces the humans and the younger one is grinning widely while the older one is looking away. “We give you our gratitude.”</p><p>“There are some good humans out there,” the younger one murmurs, before he gets up. “We try and make it better for a couple people at a time.”</p><p>When Kyungsoo looks to his human, he simply waves them off as he walks away to return to their table. “Yeah, yeah. Maybe visit again before I die.”</p><p>The younger human laughs but winks at him before he follows after him. “See ya again, phoenixes.”</p><p>Kyungsoo snorts at their words. “Ridiculous,” he mutters. But when he glances at his Light, he’s still smiling at him, amused.</p><p>“We’ll visit again, in a year.”</p><p>Kyungsoo finishes off his custard without a second thought. His fork hits an empty plate and he frowns down at it, confused, before he hears his Light’s laughter, again. This time, it’s louder than usual and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at it.</p><p>“I told you. You enjoy their desserts here, too.”</p><p>Honestly, there are a lot of things Kyungsoo likes about the planet Earth. It’s not the best in terms of species or their habits and personalities, but he supposes it’s an okay-enough place to live in if there’s nowhere else. He glances at his humans back at their original table, observing them for a moment, before he returns his attention to his Light. He’s only staring at him and Kyungsoo defaults into smiling at an appreciating look like that. His Light is even beautiful in human form, but then he sticks his tongue out at him, mischievous, playful.</p><p>Kyungsoo scoffs at that, “Yeah, yeah. It’s alright.”</p><p>They’ll return in a year.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>can anyone guess where the title is from and who the side characters are based off of? i hope the prompter enjoys this story the littlest bit! i’m sorry i couldn’t make it longer D: but i had fun!! i hope everyone has fun reading it too :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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